Real Betis, or Real Betis Balompié, S.A.D., is one of the most infamous football clubs in the world. But have you ever wondered about the history behind this club? Read on to find out more!
The Origin of Real Betis
Real Betis started off as one club – Sevilla Balompié, and was founded in 1907 by a group of students in Seville, Spain. They weren’t officially recognised until 1909, but the club considers their official foundation date to be 1907. In 1914, they merged with another club – Betis Football Club. Not long after the merge, the club received its royal patronage and Real Betis Balompié was born.
Development
On 21 June 1931, Real Betis (which was dubbed Betis Balompié from 1931 to 1939 due to the Spanish Second Republic) reached the Copa del Presidente de la República final for the first time. They lost 3-1 to Athletic Bilbao, but this was a major confidence boost to the club. In 1932, 25 years after the club was founded, Betis won their first Segunda División and became the first club from Andalusia to play in La Liga – and in 1935, they won, coming above Madrid FC by a single point. However, Betis then faced trouble – not only were there economic difficulties for the club, but with the beginning of the Civil War, only 2 players from the 1935 championship remained in the club – Peral and Saro.
This was the tipping point for Betis, and quickly the club began to decline. Even with a short return to the top division, the club struggled to keep up and faced many losses, even being relegated to Tercera División (third division). Even though from the outside, it seemed like this was bad news to Betis, this wasn’t the case at all – some time away from the big leagues allowed the club to develop its identity, and gain increasingly high popularity, often filling its stadium and having the “Green March” at away matches.
Uprising
In 1955, Betis started to make a comeback – with the introduction of a new manager, Benito Villamarín, Betis made their way back to the top division in 1958 and finished 3rd in 1964. Even after Villamarín’s departure in 1965, despite a few setbacks, they managed to secure a place in the top level in 1974. From here, there was only good things for Real Betis – at times, there were economic hardships and losses, but since then it’s only been up and up for Real Betis, and the club stayed strong until the present day, winning many different competitions, including the Segunda División and Copa del Rey.
Recently, Real Betis gained a new sponsor, easyMarkets. Their three-year sponsorship deal means the uniform will display the easyMarkets logo (launched during the first game of the club’s current season). The deal gives both easyMarkets and Real Betis room for growth and development – a bright light for the club’s future!
Even though the club has faced setbacks and downfalls at times, with the club only on the rise from now, the future looks exciting for Real Betis. Viva el Betis manque pierda!
